Overview
The Huchuy Qosco trek is like taking a step back in time, although hard to believe it is so close to Cusco! From its beginning, this trek takes you off the typical tourist route. You will walk along ancient pathways and visit local communities where you will be immersed in the local culture. On your 2nd day, you will visit the little known site of Huchuy Qosco, a pre-Inca site which was incorporated into the Inca empire early on when they came to power. This site offers an interesting mix of pre-Inca and Inca architecture and is set in a beautiful location overlooking the Sacred Valley.
IMPORTANT: The night before your trek there will be a pre-trek briefing in our office (exact time will be confirmed).
Expected Weather in Cusco:
In Cusco dry season is from April to October. The days are usually sunny and hot, but temperatures drop abruptly after 5-6 PM until 7-8 AM. Weather is very changeable from November to March, and heavy rains are expected every day with the wettest month December to January. It is not as cold as it is in the dry season.
DAY 2: Patabamba | Huchuyqosqo – Lamay – Aguas Calientes
DAY 3: The Most Important Day – Machu Picchu!
Itinerary
Cusco - Tambomachay - Qoricocha Lake - Patabamba Community!
We will pick you up from your hotel at around 6:30 AM and take you up to Tambomachay (3700 MASL – 12139 FASL) in the Sacsayhuaman Park. This is where we will begin our trek. From here, we will head up the mountainside for about 2 hours until we reach our first pass for the day (4100 MASL – 13451 FASL). From here you will be able to enjoy the views of several Inca sites and Cusco spread below you. After a well deserved rest, we will descend in to the next valley where we will visit a small village called Quesser Grande before heading back up the opposite side of the valley again for 2 hours to reach our second pass (4300 MASL – 14107 FASL). From here we will descend to Lake Qoricocha (Golden Water) and follow the edge of the lake around to reach the path which will take us to our first night’s camp at Patabamba village (3848 MASL – 12795 FASL). This last leg will take us about 2 hours.
Patabamba | Huchuyqosqo – Lamay – Aguas Calientes
This trail will first take you to the little village of Sihua and then up to the Pukamarca pass (4150 MASL – 13615 FASL) which overlooks the village with the same name. Here, you will have a splendid viewpoint of the Urubamba mountain range and the Sacred Valley. After reaching the top of the pass, there is a 2km/0.6 mile (approximately 30 minute) downhill hike to the Pumamarka Community for lunch.
After this, you will continue your trek to the Puma Puncu canyon ( “the puma door” ). From here, you will hike along an original Incan trail, which has been restored as part of the Qapacñan project. This trail will lead you to the isolated and mysterious Inca site of Huchuy Qosqo (“the little Cusco’’) perched above the Sacred Valley of the Incas at 3600 MASL/11811 FASL. Once in the site, your guide will walk you through and show you all the site’s amazing Inca buildings like sacred temples, storehouses, Inca terraces for agriculture and the Inca reservoir used to store water during the dry season.
After your guided tour of the site, we will begin our 2-hour walk downhill to the village of Lamay (2800 MASL – 9186 FASL) in the Sacred Valley where we will get a bus to take us to Ollantaytambo. From Ollantaytambo, we take a train to Aguas Calientes (the village below Machu Picchu) where we will spend the night in a hostel.
- Walking Distance – 12 km / 7.46 miles
- Starting point of the hike – 3848 meters ASL/ 12624 feet ASL
- Maximum Altitude: 4150 meters ASL / 13615 feet ASL
- Difficulty: Easy - Moderate.
- Meals: Breakfast & Lunch (Plus snack)
- Adventure: Absolutely
- Hiking Hours: 7 Hours
The Most Important Day – Machu Picchu!
Today’s Highlights: Your excitement for our rendezvous at Machu Picchu will rise as we are hiking early in the morning through the forest to reach the site before most other tourists – even the Inca Trail trekkers!! You will have plenty of time to explore this truly magnificent World Wonder while you enjoy the beautiful sunrise from this once-in-a-lifetime viewpoint. Your group will learn about this mystical place in a two-hour guided tour of the ruins. Afterwards, you can opt to climb Huayna Picchu or Machupicchu Mountain (if you have pre-booked tickets) or walk to the Sun Gate (without extra tickets).
Today we arrive at the long-awaited finale of our trek, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site – Machu Picchu! We will wake up early after a refreshing night at our hostel to beat the crowds to the top of Machu Picchu and enjoy its serenity in the soft morning light. The Machu Picchu entrance check point is open from 06:00 AM until 17:00 PM. We will hike up to Machupicchu (a bus ride is optional for $12.00) and enter the hidden Royal Citadel of the Incas. Here we will have a 2-hour guided tour through this incredible ancient city to visit temples, terraces, palaces, priest’s houses, the sundial, the industrial sector, and the farming fields. Be amazed at the engineering ingenuity of the Incas which was so far ahead of their time and still partially a mystery today! Without having modern tools or even steel and iron to work with, the people who built this city were genius in organizing this community in a sustainable and beautiful way on the side of a mountain, even bringing water in canals through its streets for the people to use. When a Peruvian guide showed this site to Hiram Bingham, it was almost unrecognizable, covered in thick vegetation and in a state of disrepair. It has since been cleaned and restored and is now protected and treasured by the world at large!
After this tour, you are free to climb up to Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain (Be sure to book in advance to get tickets for these!). Each mountain takes approximately 3 hours to hike up and down. Another lower-impact option for which you do not need an extra ticket is to trek to the Sun Gate, the main entrance from the Inca Trail (this takes about 2 or 2.5 hours round-trip). Another option is walking to see the Incan Bridge. You will be able to stay and enjoy this magical city for more than 7 hours before hiking back down to Aguas Calientes for the train ride at 16:22 hrs (subject to availability) to Ollantaytambo. A private bus will pick up our group and drop you off at your hotel in Cusco at about 20:00 hrs. Rest your feet and your body now, but we can assure you your heart will still be soaring for weeks and years to come!
- Activity Overview: Touring Machu Picchu with optional hike
- Activity Level: Touring: easy, hike: strenuous
- Activity Length: 2-5 hours exploring and optional 2-3 hour strenuous hike; Machu Picchu is at 7,972’ elevation
Included
- Professional tourist guide, bilingual (English and Spanish)
- Assistant guide (for groups of more than 9 trekkers)
- Pick-up from your hotel
- Entrance tickets to Huchuy Qosqo and Machu Picchu
- Transportation: bus to the trailhead, bus from Lamay to Ollantaytambo, train (Backpacker service) to Ollantaytambo, and bus back Cusco to your hotel
- 1 night of accomodation in a hostel in Aguas Calientes
- Bus ticket round-trip: Aguas Calientes - Machu Picchu / Machu Picchu - Aguas Calientes
- Boiled water safe for drinking while trekking (bring your water for the first morning)
- 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 tea times, 2 dinners, and snacks to eat during the day while trekking
- Dining/Kitchen tent, tables, and chairs
- Chef to prepare all meals while trekking
- Tents: 2 people in each 4-person tent
- Foam camping mattress
- 1 horse in case of emergencies
- Emergency oxygen bottle
- First aid kit
- Vegetarian food available at no extra cost!
- Sleeping bag rent: US $5.00 per day. You can rent one from our company if you do not have your own. Our sleeping bags are effective and durable to protect from temperatures as low as -18ºC (0ºF). They are mummy form and include a sleeping liner. The bags are cleaned after every use and have a maximum usage of 30 trips.
- Trekking poles
- Therm-a-rest inflatable sleeping pad rent: US $5.00 per day
- Single tent supplement (if you do not want to share a tent) – USD $25.00
- Extra night in Aguas Calientes $35 (or email us for alternate options). We will just need to arrange your train back to Cusco for the following day. Please tell us before final booking process.
- Original passport
- Travel Insurance is essential
- Sleeping bag (not included but can be hired from us)
- Walking boots
- Waterproof jacket or rain poncho
- Warm jacket
- Warm hat and gloves, ballcap for the sun
- T-shirts
- Comfortable pants
- Sunscreen (SPF35 recommended)
- Insect repellent
- Toiletries and hand sanitizer
- Personal medication
- Camera and flashlight/headlamp, batteries
+ Info
THE BRIEFING
This meeting will take place the night before the trek’s departure at 6 PM at our office which is located at Triunfo Street 392, Office 212 (second floor). We are 1 block from the Main Square (Plaza de Armas) of Cusco.
WHAT ABOUT THE BALANCE?
It would be greatly appreciated if you pay in cash at our office (US dollars or Peruvian soles) here in Cusco. We have many cash machines in the historical center to withdraw money. You can also pay by VISA or PAYPAL online but you will have to pay a 8% service charge, charged by VISA and PAYPAL. To pay your balance through PAYPAL, you need to log into your PAYPAL account using our email address of ventas@salkantaytrekking.com
DUFFEL BAG FOR Huchuy Qosqo trek to Machu Picchu 3 Days - OP 1
The evening before you start your trek, you will be given a SMALL DUFFLE BAG to pack your clothes for the next four days. Your weight allowance is up to 7 kg/15.4 lbs. Our horseman will carry your duffle bag for you together with the food and camping gear. It is important to be aware that you will not have access to your items in the duffle bag until the end of each day as the horsemen and horses will always be ahead of the group. During the travel, you need a day backpack big enough to carry your personal belongings such as a warm jacket, raincoat, camera, sunscreen, snacks, water, etc. Usually, a 30 to 50 litre backpack is sufficient.
CAN I STORE MY LUGGAGE AT YOUR OFFICE?
Of course! During the travel, your main luggage can be stored at our office or at your hotel, both free of charge.
HOW TO BOOK THE Huchuy Qosqo trek to Machu Picchu 3 Days - OP 1
FIRST To make a booking, please email us to check availability and receive customized booking forms. You can also download a generic form from:
All clients will need to fill out a Passenger Details form.
Please be ready with the following information (FROM EACH PARTICIPANT in your group). We cannot purchase any Huchuy Qosqo trek to Machu Picchu 3 Days - OP 1 permits or entrance tickets without the following information:
- Personal information (Full name, exactly as on your passport):
- Gender
- Passport number
- Date of birth (dd / mm / yyyy)
- Nationality
Hiking Team
Our Tour Guides
Your tour will be led by a trained and highly experienced professional with a very solid guiding background, years of hiking and wilderness experience, medical certifications, and a passion for leading people into unforgettable adventures. More Info
Our Cooks
After a challenging trek we know how important a good hot meal can be to prepare your body and warm you up. That’s why on every trek with Salkantay Trekking we employ chefs with years of experience cooking on the trails so that they provide filling.More Info
Meals: What to Expect
All of our hiking tours include a diversity of tasty meals packed full of critical carbohydrates, proteins and fats. We carry foods that travel well in the backcountry – rice, pastas, lentils, beans, couscous, packaged meats, nuts, breads, oatmeal, granola. More Info
Our Horseman and Horses
Our Horseman and his horses are in charge of all our gear and will always await us within the safe and comfortable camp sites. More Info
Price
Book Now
Please complete the form below to request a reservation. One of our Trip Coordinators will contact you, often within two business hours, to confirm availability of the trip and/or provide you with other options. Once availability is established, we will ask for a deposit and a completed online registration to confirm your spot on the trek. Please call us at (+51) 958191179 with any questions or to confirm availability over the phone.
Privacy Policy: The Salkantay Trekking Company will never share, sell, or make public any of your personal contact information to third parties.
